Highest percentage of online shopping in S. Korea

More than 85 percent of the world’s online population has used the Internet to make a purchase — increasing the market for online shopping by 40 percent in the past two years — according to the latest Nielsen Global Online Survey on Internet shopping habits. Globally, more than half of Internet users have made at least one purchase online in the past month, according to Nielsen.

“The Internet is no longer a niche technology — it is mass media and an utterly integral part of modern life. Almost no aspect of life remains untouched by online media. As our lives become more fractured and cluttered, it isn’t surprising that consumers turn to the unrivalled convenience of the Internet when it comes to researching and buying products,” said Jonathan Carson, President, International, Nielsen Online.

“When The Nielsen Company conducted its first global survey into Internet shopping trends two years ago, approximately 10 percent of the world’s population (627 million) had shopped online,” said Bruce Paul, VP, Customized Research, Nielsen U.S. “Within two years, this number has increased by approximately 40 percent (to 875 million).”